Wireless Audio

It looks like Sonos will soon be adding a soundbar to their lineup of wireless speakers. Today, the company won FCC approval for its PLAYBAR, label above. FCC filings show that the PLAYBAR will use WiFi to stream music, just like other products. Label location mockups of the device show a rectangular object that is similar in appearance to a soundbar, below.

Sonos hasn’t made any mention of the PLAYBAR, but today’s FCC filing is a good sign that we will be seeing the device soon.

Here’s a useful, if slightly boring accessory from HP. The company’s HP Wireless Audio adapter is a USB-based system for streaming music from any PC. Just plug in the USB dongle and attach your speakers to the Wireless Audio receiver and you’re ready to stream. The Wireless Audio receiver has RCA and S/PDIF outputs, and relies on an AC adapter.

No word on pricing or a release date, but the HP Wireless Audio adapter hit the FCC today.

Audessey, an LA-based manufacturer of audio accessories, passed an AirPlay-enabled speaker called the Lower East Side Audio Dock Air through the FCC today. The device, pictured above, features two 3/4” tweeters, two 3” midrange woofers and two 4” passive bass radiators into a compact 5 pound package. FCC documents also include internal photos of the Lower East Side dock, below.

Thanks to AirPlay, the Lower East Side dock can play music wirelessly from your iOS device. The dock also has an auxiliary dock for wired connections, as well as a headphone out port.

The Lower East Side dock costs $400, and is expected to be released in November 2011.

Danish consumer electronics manufacturer Bang and Olufsen will soon be getting on Apple’s Airplay bandwagon with its Beolit 12 speaker, pictured above. The compact speaker features a retro look and intricate speaker grill, as well as a carrying strap for portability. But under the hood, the Beolit 12 rocks a robust feature set, including WiFi, an Ethernet port, and USB port.

Users of iOS devices can play music on the Beolit 12 via airplay, while other devices can connect to the device via 3.5mm jack. The top of the Beolit 12 also serves as a resting area for your media player as well as music controls.

No word on pricing or a release date for the Beolit 12 yet, but the device won FCC approval today, suggesting that we will see it in time for the Holidays.

Monster’s popular Beats by Dre headphones will soon be getting a wireless upgrade, thanks to an FCC filing by Monster which won approval today. Known as Beats Wireless, the headphones use Bluetooth and can be used as both headphones and a headset for calls. Music and call controls are located on the right ear muff, and allow users to control volume, play/pause, forward/back, and answer calls. The headphones also have a rechargeable battery – a big improvement over previous versions of Beats which guzzled AAA batteries.

No word on pricing or availability yet, but we’d expect to see Beats Wireless headphones available before Christmas.

So what exactly does the Home Connect do? FCC filings show the device connected to auxiliary audio equipment during testing. The Home Connect also sports a lithium polymer battery, suggesting that the device is designed for portability. Judging from the “Home Connect” name, we’d guess that the device is designed to stream audio from Archos devices to auxiliary audio equipment. FCC test reports also show the Home Connect attached to a PC via USB, so perhaps the device can stream PC-based music as well.

Archos hasn’t made any mention of the Home Connect or A35Domo, but today’s FCC filing suggests that we will be hearing more soon.